Step 2: Making the Acrylic

1. Create a desired design of your own by drawing in a small paper ( collective design ), as for myself, I drew it on computer using a vector progam, Adobe Illustrator, printed it out for use as a pattern.

2. Draw your design on your 10mm acrylic, still with sheet cover (do not remove it), or stick the printed pattern. One side is enough for the drawing.

3. Use your dremel, mine is 350D with flex-shaft attachement, using a drill bit to cut-cut off the design. Please use your safety goggles because it will be hot and scraps are flying wildy. You may end up with burnt skin too.

4. Pile the acrylic to give a smoother surface.

5. Use a torch, if necessary and if you have any, to melt the acrylic and it will give a shinny effect.

6. Check where will be your top area, drill a hole for your USB cable.

B&Q do sell it. i got some from my local B&Q but if i remember correctly they didnt call it plexiglass. just look round i found my sheets in a completly different place to where i thought it would be. if not have you tried focus or something like that?

What if they are blinking? I installed some LED's inside the centre console of my truck with a fridge style switch. Everything worked fine for a while, but then they started blinking and then stopped.

I asked the guy in my local electronics place what resistors I should use for a 12-14v supply and hooked everything up according with wiring instructions I found on here, so I think I had everything right.

If it was a constant blinking with the same on and off timing in between blinks, then those were made to blink. But if it was random blinking, then that means the LEDs were receiving a load that they were not rated for, such as too much current or too much voltage and they died faster.

Would optical plastic work? I have a clipboard made of 10mm thich green optical plastic, but it's not wide enough to make a one-piece mouse pad from. i was thinking of cutting it into strips, then using the strips to go around the perimeter, with the lights in the middle, and a layer of metal on top to keep the pad from sinking in. I may just have a teflot-coated metal plate if I can find it.

two things- is there such thing as a script that can turn off a certain usb port? in this case the port that the pad is plugged into? where did you get the graphic to lay ontop of the pad? the image shown in the introduction looks like carbon fiber, but i can't find the image anywhere!!!!

No big deal. but at ace hardware they sell a scorpion flashlight for at most 20 bucks and it has many of those leds... and it has a handy case that you can use for something else if you so please (that is the only way i know that they are the same thing)

I was thinking red LEDs also - easier on the eyes, during night time gaming (is there any other type?) Your eyes dont dilate as much as they do with other frequencies of light, thats why they use red lights in telescope observatories, where you dont want your eye dilating any more than it has to.

ok Guys! im done! I ran into some more problems along the way... I had to replace two of the blue leds with one UV led...it turns out that there are "blacklight" leds...they are the ultraviolet ones...but the two blues broke... i actually used electrical tape and things flew together...made a huge difference... i have a battery power dremel (it was cheap and i wanted one right then...turns out walmart had a corded one for less...made me mad...)...battery life was horrible...about 15 min...after three hours of charging... also...instead of cutting into the acrylic (taking way too long)...i drilled holes into the back and glued the leds there...personally...it looks better...the glow is directed to the front... And instead of putting a switch and the hub on the mousepad...im going to build a separate box with those in it...just gonna make it an in-line switch with the usb running through it... If you guys have any questions, message me...

Hai guys! i just wanted to say that im currently working on this...all i have to do is cut out the acrylic and put the pieces together... Just a couple of things i ran into so-far: If you are running this off a Laptop, you will need to either use less LED's or put them in parallel, instead of series as the instructions say...Laptop's don't supply enough power to usbs, but desktops work fine either way... DON'T USE DUCT TAPE! it is a pain in the rear to get off if you made a mistake... Also, when he said 10 mm acrylic he means it...i couldn't find it anywhere...lowes and home depot were sold out, but you can sandwich two layers of 5 mm (.220 in) acrylic together and cut out the slots for the led's and cable on both, trapping them in, and making it look better... I also tried to put a usb hub in it...but that means having thicker acrylic... I also but a switch into the circuit to turn off the lights for when i go to bed... I will post picks when i am done... And if anyone wants to buy one, I am willing to sell...but it will be a little while before i perfect my construction methods...just contact me about it... Thanks for making such a great instructable!